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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Yosemite National Park, CaliforniaOn our last day here we hiked around the Mariposa Grove which is the largest grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite. Many of these trees are more than a thousand years old. Some of these trees were here before the Greek Parthenon was built!

Here is the Bachelor and the Three Graces. These are not the oldest trees but they are tall - slender ballerinas dancing around their Raphael.

As we walked some more we saw something moving in the tall grass.

I have never been so still in my life. The deer looked me over and continued eating.

This is the view from inside the aptly named Telescope Tree.

I think this is lichen. It was dangling from some of the tree branches. Any experts out there want to chime in?

Here are my favorite two trees. Their bases have fused as one, thus their name - Faithful Couple.

Kilroy was here!

I couldn't pass up this shot with the late afternoon sun shining on Half Dome. Next visit we're hiking that! Kim told us she spoke to a minister who performs wedding ceremonies at the summit. Maybe that'll be our next Yosemite wedding.

Yosemite, CaliforniaKim knew she wanted some photos in Yosemite National Park, but there was no time between the ceremony and reception. She thought about taking photos before hand, but was concerned about getting her dress dirty. The Day After portrait session was the perfect solution!

The pears were an accent throughout the wedding - so we brought them along.

Kim wanted some photos of their rings, so I thought we could try a few different angles.

This is my favorite ring shot - I especially love the left side of the veil that caught the wind just right. The rings represent their marriage and the pears symbolize the newlywed's last name.

One of the reasons I love these sessions is that no one is rushed. This gives me the chance to try new things. I really loved the light in the park and used available light in a few different ways.

I wanted to this photo to look like an old daguerreotype so I used a new lens for this effect and then toned the image in sepia. Kim's veil really gives the photo a vintage feel. That and their pose. If you look at the photo above this it almost doesn't look like the same couple!

I love getting muddy if it means photos like these!

I couldn't resist this shot - Anyone know where the inspiration came from?

Many thanks to Kim and Ryan! Michael and I had an awesome time at your wedding and we loved the photo time with you afterwards. Special thanks to Ryan for this shoot. Kim told me he doesn't like posing for photos - but he sure is a natural isn't he?

Yosemite, CaliforniaYou may have noticed a lot of pears in Kim and Ryan's wedding. The couple does make a great pair, but the fruit is actually a reference to their last name. (I won't divulge the name for privacy reasons, which is why I only use first names in the blog.)

Kim and Ryan started out with their romantic first dance.

I loved their reactions to the toasts.

Kim tears up at her dad's toast...

... and later both of them burst out laughing.

The newlyweds incorporated the tradition of the German Wedding Cup. If neither spill a drop, they will have a marriage full of love, faithfulness and good luck.

There is a second part to this tradition. Whoever finishes the drink first is declared the ruler of the nest. Guess who won?

Now it was time for more dancing.

I don't think Kim ever left the dance floor.

I love the chicken dance!

It's time for some serious fun when the shoes come off!

It's getting dark. The bride and groom have a special treat for their guests....

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Yosemite, CaliforniaKim and Ryan live in the Monterey area, but their family and friends live all around the Bay area. So they decided to have a destination wedding at the beautiful Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite. Their wedding was absolutely breathtaking!

They put a lot of effort into their wedding details, even building the wedding arch themselves. Kim's cousin Sara did an awesome job designing all of the stationery from the invites to the programs to the table numbers. The bride's bouquet was wrapped in her grandmother's handkerchief.

A backdrop of pine trees listen as Kim and Ryan say their vows.

Kim's face is so expressive. There were a couple of times when she looked as if she was trying not to cry.

I love the maid of honor's face in this photo - she looks so happy for the couple!

My favorite first kisses last for lots of photos!

Although I loved the colors, I could see this wedding toned all in sepia tone.